Torn-on-the-platform

As far as I understand, Beachy Head will emerge on the Bluebell in BR Black. I'm sure however that there will be some call for it to appear in LBSCR livery at some point in its first boiler ticket, and this would be prime Bachmann Collectors Club fodder!

Fair point CoY! I was just pointing out that there had also been a fair few omissions that I have a funny feeling won't be filled. I thought that they would produce all of the preserved locos that they possibly could, in a livery associated with their preservation careers - RMWeb certainly seems to think that they are money spinners. A bit nit-picky but I would like to point out though that 3803 is in the correct livery but not with the tender it is paired with in preservation (didn't stop me buying it but will be looking for a replacement tender eventually). 5239 is in a particularly different condition when compared to the Hornby model - whilst I do have this model (a mistake if I'm honest), I don't see many casual railway modellers buying that model following riding behind the named locomotive in lined out green - now that is a model we won't see direct from Hornby!

On a slightly different direction, but I feel still on topic, Hornby seem to me to be less inclined to produce preserved examples of the classes that they do make. Whilst wishlisting and frothing we always quote preservation as a good selling point year I can think of a fair few preserved engines not yet produced despite Hornby producing their class. I appreciate that Hornby have produced several preserved locomotives but there are some obvious omissions. We're yet to see Q1 C1, K1 62005 or M7 30053 just off the top of my head. Have any of the J15s been the preserved example? I'm not sure any of Hornby's S15s are preserved. Not so perplexing with the better represented classes in preservation - black 5s/Bulleids etc, but Bachmann usually include a preserved flagship as part of their first release of a new class of locomotives. They make good limited editions - we have seen NRM editions of Cheltenham for example, but no main range Repton or Stowe (though I appreciate Repton's tender would require tooling modification.) I don't want to be seen as Hornby bashing here, I'm just musing over something I've noticed! I think there's still a chance for 62005, but not the other two that I have mentioned. Nor S15 847.

Fair enough! That confirms my thoughts about the two LSWR liveries. I have searched deeper and found a solitary photo of the loco in BR early crest, double heading with the USA tank. The photo seems to be from 1990.

I feel that Dan's post above shows that the motive power situation isn't too shabby. I'd like to add a little bit more information. Two large 4-6-0s and a reasonably powerful 0-6-0, supplemented by two medium sized tank engines should hopefully provide ample steam power over the main season. It is worth also pointing out that despite further delay to Sir Archibald Sinclair's overhaul, the latest forecast is for a late 2017 return. 80151 has only just been dismantled, though I gather it is in reasonable condition. The Maunsell society have not, as far as I'm aware, given a prediction for completion on Stowe, with 1618 to follow afterwards. The latest Bluebell news states that Beachy Head's 'chassis is very nearly complete' and work on the boiler is about to begin. Some of the Bluebell's decisions regarding locomotives have left me scratching my head, but they seem to be doing well enough at the moment! The demotion of the C class is a shame, but bowed out in style with a trip to Kings Cross. The O1 is however high up the overhaul queue, though a shame that there won't be a period of overlap in their operation like there was before the latter locomotive was last retired. A letter was published in the latest Bluebell News from a member who felt that at least 1, preferably 2 of the 3 4MT tanks should be available at any one time, being geographically relevant and economically useful. I must say I wholeheartedly agree, though won't make a fuss, as I don't volunteer. With regards to diesels, I have never been particularly supportive of their presence but I still feel that the railway is doing itself no harm with the current level of 'exposure'. It opens the line up to a large group of enthusiasts that would not otherwise visit, and only affects quite well demarcated weekends, so only those who plan their trips poorly will turn up and be disappointed.

The loco spent a brief period of time in BR black straight from service, with crests removed, much in the same way that Fenchurch and Birch Grove were initially presented. I don't have any of my Bluebell reference material with me Oop North so can't give precise dates but it was repainted in to the LSWR livery relatively early on. I was not aware of the loco being repainted in BR black after this point, though will happily be corrected. I can only ever remember the loco being in its current livery and as far as I'm concerned, this is what is represented by the Oxford and forthcoming Hornby models. The loco appears to have spent some time in a darker version of the livery - as I think can be seen on the class' Wikipedia page, and elsewhere on the internet (sorry, not too sure on the rules regarding posting other people's images so tend to avoid it). It may infact just be the current livery before fading? Or a trick of the light played by the cameras of the 80s? But I feel that photos of the engine from the early 80s don't match that of the Oxford model. I was pleasantly surprised by a club member's Oxford radial, the second BR release, though I am willing to hedge my bets for the Hornby model to see which is better to my eye, taking account for the price difference. Oxford's model certainly looks the part and I would like to support this new player in model railways.

A colleague has recently reminded me of Skinny Love - Bon Iver I can imagine that his music is pretty 'Marmite', I certainly struggle to compare him to anyone! The performance on Jools Holland is widely regarded as one of the best on the show. Perhaps an acquired taste? But I think its fantastic.

Does anyone know of any UK suppliers with Skarloey still in stock?

I think that this is totally fair enough Andy. There is something special about the SDR and how it does just as you say. However, there are very few preserved lines that can historically justify the use of the larger locomotives and so many of these magnificent machines would be homeless and not at all viable! We'd have far fewer heavy freight types too. Surely its better to see a 28xx on a rake of Mk1s than not running at all? On a different note, most preserved railways have been going long enough that early preservation is very much part of their history. Many railways owe so much to austerities and other industrial locos that held the fort in the 80s and 90s whilst the lines developed enough to buy and restore more appropriate motive power. I always think that it is a shame when such a loco moves on, no longer fitting into the picture, despite having been such economical servants, without which many railways might not have survived.

Blazing saddles was a great event! I don't remember it being particularly busy, but a gala in March on one of the less well publicised lines probably won't be. The quadruple header was a particular highlight. I'd also wanted to see Wilbert for a very long time! http://chrisrailwayphotos.weebly.com/201213.html - more photos halfway down this page Lakeside and Haverthwaite: Isle of Wight (I recently saw someone say that the railway will be running without austerities this year): Gwili:

I understand that convincing the Bluebell's high ups to paint the E4 BR Black was something of a battle, and only allowed for the end of the boiler certificate. The Q class is currently in BR livery by request as there are already 2 locos and another only just retired in a Maunsell livery. I have always enjoyed the colourful variation at the Bluebell, though I do like the uniformity elsewhere. For example the Swanage has a lot of BR Brunswick and Black alongside BR(SR) coaches, and the K&WVR (aside from its vintage carriages) sticks to Black locos and Maroon coaches, and it gives off a smart image to the public. Whilst the encroachment of carmine and cream has been a welcome change at the Bluebell (my own opinion, I'm well aware that not all members agree), I am starting to miss the full trains of malachite! A slight aside, but still relevant, on a visit to the line a couple of years ago, some younger lads were asking their dad where Stepney was. None of them could find it until I pointed out that they were standing next to it. It was of course painted black, and despite the huge STEPNEY lettering on the tanks, the lack of its iconic livery had meant it totally passed them by.

I recently had the pleasure of being stuck behind at wide load that was unable to top 50mph on the 2 lane section of the southbound M18. This created long tailbacks, and I was quite fortunate to be relatively near the front of the queue. After the A1 junction, the M18 becomes three lane. To the credit of the wide load driver, he pulled over into the first and second lanes as soon as was safe and everyone formed an orderly queue in lane 3 to pass him. As the M18 climbs over the A1, the wide load dropped to 30mph and had not managed to pick up much speed by the time the road had widened up, so as you can imagine, a little more patience was required for the queue to make good progress past the obstruction. Frustrating, but fair enough. What wasn't fair enough was the BMW who trucked up lane 1 at a speed far greater than anyone else. I leave myself open to accusations of selfish driving here, but at this point the queue was moving at around 40mph and accelerating, and whilst I feel I am usually good at leaving an adequate gap behind the car in front, seeing someone with this arrogance and impatience will leave you tempted to close the gap. He presumably aimed for the gap infront of me as, despite closing up a bit, it was probably still the widest gap in the queue. This didn't stop him at all - with no signalling until after starting his maneuver, he was forcing his way in front of me. Even at the relatively slow speed I was forced to brake to account for this, as he was clearly relying on my sense of self preservation to enable him to complete the move. He waved back in 'apology', an assumption I know, but it felt like a matter of course (It is my belief that if you have intentionally done something wrong, the apology will never be sincere). He had forced me to take action to avoid collision, by his own choice, not need, so I made a choice hand gesture back. He noticed and did a more sarcastic looking wave in reply. This gave an impression that this was the kind of move he was used to making with little regard to anyone else's safety. The thing that angered me most was his willingness to risk other people's safety in order to queue jump. However, whilst I appreciate that there is always the arguement that you should 'use all the road space', in this context there had been some flagrant undertaking and the queue jumping itself was pretty outrageous even if there had been sufficient gap for him to fit in. If he had joined from the A1, he had certainly travelled far enough from the junction that this was not a valid excuse in my book. As I pointed out earlier, I know that my closing of the gap makes me no angel, but I would imagine that most people would do the same in this situation. We Brits aren't particularly keen on selfish drivers and queue jumpers after all. His actions were exponentially worse than mine! I know that incidents such as this aren't exactly rare, but this thread is as good a place as any to have a bit of a vent!

Thanks chaps. My plan is to model locations on the Moretonhampstead branch as if preserved. I didn't want to say initially as the mention of preservation often leads to claims that you can do as you please etc. The intention is to be operationally similar, but by no means identical to, the South Devon Railway. It seems to be a little less clear cut at the moment, but about 5 years ago, the SDR had 2 Mk1-based 'mainline' sets, supplemented by the odd GWR prototype. At galas, a branch line train would run as well, usually an auto-train but occasionally a couple of colletts in BR livery. The auto train would also run alongside one of the main sets on quieter days. Whilst I am quite happy in the SDR's BR(W) haven, I do think that it is missing a vintage GWR set, especially considering the pride associated with the GWR. I already have my Mk1 sets, with some supplementary Hawksworths. I have no GWR liveried coaching stock and feel that a very smart 3 coach Collett set would fill the gap perfectly, and it is a realistic proposition that a railway of this size could have a set like this running in the present day. Of course a preserved railway would take whatever it could get its hands on and a neat book-ended set wouldn't necessarily be possible - take the Bluebell's Maunsells for example. Lovely to have a train of Maunsells but even the two SOs have significant detail differences. Another consideration is that having 2 brakes in a 3 coach train means a significant reduction in capacity. It seems to me that the WR were less religious about having a brake at each end than their SR rivals, so perhaps a 3rd, comp, 3rd brake would be a better set. I realise that the the modeller's licence associated with preservation makes my question a little moot, but I would like to seek RMWeb's opinion as to what they would consider to be the most realistic combination in this scenario.

I don't know too much about GW coaching formations further than B-sets and autocoaches! I'm only really in the market for 3 of these in GWR livery as a branch set. I'm guessing that the most appropriate formation would therefore be 2 brakes and a composite in the middle (as the brakes offer no first class accommodation)? Would they even have been used in branch formations in pre-nationalisation days? Many thanks in advance.

Bought one to accompany my Maunsell 3-set, very happy with it. For the purists amongst you, don't worry, it spent most of the morning behind a 4MT!

I picked a Maroon version up from Rails this weekend. I've got it back running on my layout and it really is a lovely coach. It goes up against the LMS inspection saloon as the best RTR coach to date, but I don't feel it justifies the price hike. I'm not too fussed about carriage interiors but if I were, I'd be disappointed with the raised floor for the price you pay. Having said all this, it didn't stop me buying it. A SDR based coach, I've sat and had a beer in the real thing with my Granddad. It will be allowed to run at my club, matches my 6412 and will have a use on future layouts.

The Middleton Press Moretonhampstead book contains a photo of 3MT 82032 in charge of two crimson auto coaches, I'm relatively sure that they are Hawksworth. There is also a photo of 3600 with the same formation and 3659 with two crimson cream autos. I hope to be able to recreate these formations in the not too distant future!

Some were very critical of the early BR teak coaches, as the graining of the wood (I believe that this is what is meant by beading?) is far larger than scale, whereas the original LNER ones were much better in this department. However, I have a set of 5 of the currently available BR teaks and I am very happy with them. They also seem to match the colour of the real things on the NYMR and SVR better than the original releases. http://www.locomotionmodels.com/british-model-railways/oo-gauge-4mm/Hornby/special-offers.htm- as mentioned above, here's a direct link. £25 each, a very good price in my opinion. They aren't quite what you are looking for however, being in BR condition. But they are the closest you can get easily at the moment. Every time Hornby bring out new variants of the main line Gresley stock, they rocket in price. These particular coaches were initially listed at £50, but I guess they weren't selling too well. I can imagine that if they do announce a re-run in LNER livery they will be closer to £60. The coaches in the Flight of the Mallard set are the old Raildroad-standard rather poor representations. I have several of these and they kept me happy until Hornby and Bachmann re-defined what it meant to make a R-T-R coach! These are freely available at exhibitions and on eBay for very cheap prices.

I made a similar point on the BCC models thread. If I could only have one, I would have the latest version. I assumed that the LBSC umber main range edition would be instead of seeing Birch Grove in umber any time soon. I had just received my first real adult pay cheque when the new version came out so luckily I could afford to treat myself, but I would have been pretty put out had this not been the case. It was my plan to purchase the main range umber loco as a treat, but the announcement came just in time to prevent this frustration. I have very fond memories of Birch Grove in this livery, in particular, watching it shunting at Giants of Steam in 2003.

Giants of Steam returns to the calendar this year, 31st October and 1st November. Britannia and Cheltenham are the visitors, with the anticipated return of Camelot. Here's what a Britannia (the other one!) looks like on Bluebell metals: This is what I am most looking forward to seeing (2004): Whilst I have a few photos of Cheltenham, none of them are really worth reproduction.

Mine arrived today, along with the collectors club wagon. Even better than I expected! I just hope it runs when I eventually get it to some track

Hi Chaps, Just wanted to say what a good idea it is to include the map in your announcement. I don't have too much interest in diesels but those from this period are useful to me, and I often struggle to locate where they should ideally be running. Good luck with the project!

Somewhat contradictory to my previous post about the precise era of the livery, Birch Grove can be seen in this 2004 shot with brown wheels:

I thought it was likely, but expected it to be next year due to the fact that the Southern liveried model also has the preservation appeal. If I hadn't recently started in employment I would actually be quite peeved - I wouldn't have purchased the Southern liveried version if I'd have known that this version was going to come out. As it stands though, I'm happy to have both. Worth noting that Birch Grove ran in this livery on the main line, accompanied by either the Adams radial or Stepney back in the 60s. I will certainly be making a case for this model to run at Rusper with one of the southern rakes, though it may have to wait until the Adams is available as my Dapol Stepney can't cope with the mainline speeds. To my eye, I have always felt that the 1960s livery was a little simplified, and that this model best suits the loco in 1998-2005 livery. The livery of the model also appears to be considerably darker, though I'm not at all fussed about that!

Looks like I'll have to be joining the club again too! I was going to buy the LBSCR version just for its likeness to Birch Grove, very please to see the real thing.